RIP Toronto Industrial Jobs - Cascades Commissioners St. Plant

It has been a about a year since the Cascades cardboard plant on Commissioners Street was closed. Gone are 150 or so jobs, and a huge local user of recycled cardboard and paper. It does not appear that Cascades is getting out of this business, since they are expanding in Quebec. It is highly unlikely that those 150 workers are moving to Quebec any time soon. The Toronto Star articles talk about union resistance to cost cutting but the city's constant talk about repurposing the whole area for things more genteel than a noisy paper plant probably didn't help. Nor likely did dwindling support for the local railway, and the near impossibility of getting trucks up and down the DVP in 24/7 rush hour. Talk about shutting down the Gardiner will likely scare off anybody else wanting to do any form of manufacturing or production in that area.

Funny how the plans for massive redevelopment for an Expo did not work out. And the parking lots at the film studio seem pretty empty most days.

RIP 150 jobs.
With research from Toronto Star web archives and manufacturing news website archives.

Bike Racks on the TTC Bus - Your tax dollar not working that hard

It seems that many TTC busses are sporting a bunch of metal strapped to their prows. Cow catchers? Jay-walker catchers perhaps? On closer inspection, and some research, it appears that these things are bicycle racks. To hold 2 bikes. Most busses seem to hold 30 - 50 passengers. Where do the other 48 put their bikes? Or do they wait for the next bus? How long does it hold up the bus to mount your bike? What if yours is the first bike I? do you take down the other person's bike? and do what with it while fiddling with yours? What id you get off with the crowd and the bus drives off before you can get though to unhook your bike? What were they thinking?


The initial lot of 110 busses were outfitted for a cost of $202,000 in 2006 after an initial estimate of $155,000 . That is almost ONE QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS. Now Metrolinx wants to spend another $ 1.183.000 on more racks on TTC buses, about $1,200 per rack. ONE POINT TWO MILLION DOLLARS

I have yet to see a bike on any bus in any part of the city, sun or shine or snow, at any time of the day. If I ever do see someone actually putting a bike on there, I will videotape them to see how long it takes ;-)

Figures from TTC and Toronto websites, Metrolinx press release. Correct me if wrong.